'We’re ready to go': OSU baseball ready to showcase who they are at Corvallis Regional (2024)

DYLAN JACOBS

Aiden May summed it up perfectly.

It hasn’t always been the prettiest season for Oregon State. There are plenty of great moments to look back on, but a drought that lasted a few weeks, tough times on the road and an early exit from the Pac-12 tournament maybe caused the team outlook to be a little skewed.

But here it is, about to host an NCAA regional, with everything the team has dreamt of still in reach.

“We’re happy with the results but we’re a little ticked off,” May said. “We thought that this year we didn’t play our best baseball, and we’re still national hosts. So I think we’re playing with a little chip on our shoulders.”

“A lot of people are underrating us, being at 15, so just going out there and playing our game, getting to show what we know how to do and making a big run and winning a national championship is the ultimate goal. However we need to play those games to get there, we’re going to go do it and I think we’re up for the task.”

The Beavers enter the Corvallis Regional as the No. 15 seed and will host UC Irvine, Nicholls and Tulane, hoping to advance to the Super Regionals.

While some like Gavin Turley don’t take stock in exact seeding positions, May felt that, even with the ebbs and flows, for most of the year the Beavers were better than 15th best.

“I thought we were a lower overall host than what I was expecting,” May said. “But at the end of the day you just want to be in the top 16 and get to host. I liked the draw, we know there’s good teams there. … Three very solid teams. You have to be to make the tournament. They’re going to come in and give their best shot, and we’re going to give them ours.”

One reason for the low seed is the Beavers are coming off a disappointing 1-1 Pac-12 tournament run, where they scored four total runs.

Star second baseman Travis Bazzana has a lot of confidence that the offense will get back on track, but the two games added confidence to the pitching and defensive side of the equation. The Beavers gave up only four runs across the two games.

“The offense has been game-to-game. Either really, really good, unbeatable. Or it’s staying within one run of the other guys,” Bazzana said. “To know the pitching and defense is there and it’s a matter of hitting, that’s a good spot to be in for our team knowing the hitting is as powerful as it is. I think we’re going to show up when it matters and have a great plan going into the weekend.”

As Bazzana points out, the offense doesn’t have many mediocre games. Either it’s going amazing or nothing is happening. Why is that the case?

“It’s hard to pinpoint,” Bazzana said. “It’s like a collective feeling. There’s not many games where we score six runs. It’s one to three or 12 to 15. That tells me something, where it’s like. ‘Oh, we scored a couple, now we’re going to score a couple more because of the way we’re approaching our at-bats and our confidence.’ It’s just about getting a spark from the get go, but even if we don’t, being able to go up there and trust ourselves and go get it done.”

Even with some uneven play, it’s been a good recent stretch for Oregon State, highlighted by taking two out of three in Arizona, a team that will also host a regional.

The players who spoke to the media on Tuesday were confident and the fact that this weekend’s games take place at home was a big reason for that. The Beavers are 24-2 at home, and that comfort level goes a long way.

“We’re at home. As a lineup it feels good to be at home,” Turley said. “I know we’re comfortable here. In our own beds, getting the meals. And we have the whole city of Corvallis behind us.”

Oregon State was a part of the Baton Rouge Regional last year. The Beavers hosted and won the Corvallis Regional in 2022 before losing to Auburn in the Super Regional, which was also held in Corvallis.

That was an experience that makes the guys that were here then excited.

“I’m excited for the guys that haven’t been here or the transfers, the different group we have coming together and showing up when the lights are brightest and there’s all of these cameras,” Bazzana said.

May wasn’t here last year, so this will be his first postseason experience in Corvallis. It’s one he's ready for.

“I expect it to be like the Oregon series. Everybody was rowdy, very loud,” May said. “There’s just no better place in college baseball than Goss. Postseason Goss I haven’t gotten to experience yet so hopefully it’s another level up from even that. I’m just really excited.”

Temporary bleachers were added to left-center, bringing in more fans in what should be a raucous environment.

“Goss is a tough place to play,” infielder Mason Guerra said. “Crowds on top of you, real loud. We only fit 4,000 but it feels like more than that. We’re real rowdy, and a lot of energy pours onto the field from the fans.”

Guerra feels that the combination of being at home and recent strong play makes the Beavers a tough out.

“We’re all very ready. We’re ready to go. We feel really good,” Guerra said. “We feel we’re on the upslope of things. We’re pitching it really well, playing great defense. We’re always going to be able to swing it with anyone. We’re very confident.”

The regional will begin at 1 p.m. Friday when UC Irvine takes on Nicholls, and then the Beavers will take on Tulane at 6 in a game which will be televised on ESPN2.

It’s the beginning of what Oregon State hopes is a long postseason.

“The best thing in college baseball is getting the chance to host,” May said. “We’re just blessed to get this opportunity and I think it’s going to be a good shot to showcase our team on a national stage. It’s just one step on our ultimate goal of winning a national championship, so here we go.”